Whooshing in the Darkness
by ZodiacRex
Summary: A vampire from Harper Rock discovers a strange blue box and finds herself face to face with a time lord. A cross over tale between the universe of Doctor Who and a character from the on line game 'Path of the Vampire'.
1. Chapter 1

[This is a crossover tale involving the Tenth regeneration of the Doctor into the world of 'Path of the Vampire'. An on-line grid/role play game. In this the Time Lord meets my creation, the irrepressible mystic gypsy vampire: Zodiac. I lay no claims to anything from the Doctor Who universe or Path of the Vampire ( www. mooncalfstudios .com) and its locations, powers, etc, but the characters Zodiac and Ginny are my own. and will be featured in a future copyrighted work. ]

Whooshing in the Darkness

Chapter One

The night mist wrapped the backstreets like the arms of a gigantic ghost. At times a soft annoyance at best while in other spots thick and obscure. The silent footsteps pushed the figure through the swirls of condensation in equal silence as she searched about. Occasionally the thinness of the night veil and the streetlamps gave a clue to the night walker. The dark purple cloak trimmed in white fur almost black in the lighting available. The hood was raised and the open parasol the woman carried over her head blocked the scant light from revealing much of her face to any that would happen to encounter her in her travels.

_"Where are you?"_

Violet colored lips did not move, but crystal blue eyes sat into an alabaster face peered about intently. The heavy black decorations surrounding her purple shaded eyes only made the natural color stand out even more. She made not a sound nor spoke an audible word, but her thoughts danced in the night searching.

_"Where are you?"_ Her thoughts called out again. The one her telepathy called to did not ignore her as the norm. She was not worried yet. Sometimes these hunts would take hours when the conditions were right. No matter, the evening was young. The girl was well fed and ready to explore, so the game of hide and seek in the fog was a welcome diversion. She moved on, moving deeper into the mist now. Occasionally she called out again as her eyes picked out details around her. Muffled sounds trying so hard to be silent caught at once by her overly sharp hearing. In the gloom, two people struggled. One trying in vain to free themselves from the death grip the second had on them as they fed upon them. Each second passing meant the mortal was closer to death now. The attacker had to be a fledgling, or one recently returned to be so hungry. She continued on. It was not her problem, for now.

Other scenes were glimpsed as well. Many of them not vampire in nature. The world's oldest profession played out no matter what the weather was. Dealers sold their wares to eager souls craving a shot of beyond the normal. She smirked and shook her head. The victim she saw earlier had a better chance of achieving such a goal if he survived being turned. Like a ghost escorted by a larger ghost, she passed them all without being noticed. She walked this gauntlet of danger without a worry.

She was, after all, vampire.

"Meow..."

She froze in mid step at the sound while her hearing tried to gauge what direction it had come from. _"Where are you, Miss Ginny?"_ her thoughts drifted again, and again, the long drawn out note of feline confusion answered. Anyone who spent a large amount of time with any animal learned they made distinct sounds for different reasons. To a non animal person, a meow was a meow, but to her she had heard this before when her cat found something beyond her normal experiences. Gently, her free hand slipped under her cloak and unsnapped the safety strap off her hidden weapon. The first time she had heard her cat make that noise, she walked around a corner and found herself face to face with a fadebeast for the first time. Ginny 'knew' what they were now, so this was no fadebeast she was trying to figure out. She aimed herself in the direction the meows came from and was on guard more than ever.

She found her familiar sitting looking down a alleyway. A soft light revealed her in the mist that was coming from the direction the cat was staring at so intently. She crouched just short of being seen by whatever had the cat's attention and whispered again.

_"What is it, darlin'?"_ she asked. Ginny, as if finally hearing her turned its head sharply in the girl's direction and walked to where she was. Meowing and moving about her almost frantically. Slowly, she leaned forward and peeked into the alley.

_"What the...?'_

The light was coming from a large box. At first she thought it was a phone booth, but it was all wrong for that. Truthfully, she could not recall the last time she had even seen a phone booth -or even pay phones- in the new cellular world they all lived in now. It was blue with the curious words

**POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX**

across the top above the small door. What was a call box? Despite the fact she lived in Harper Rock in Canada, she was born a Texas girl and the term meant nothing to her. She had never seen anything like this in her exploring of this town before, and part of her was debating how to take this home. What a bizarre conversation piece this would be sitting in the corner. A few plants around it, some ambient lighting. Her mind was buzzing now. It obviously was connected to some power source for the inner lights and the small strobe (?) lamp on top to be burning.

As she stood up to go investigate, Ginny meowed again, much louder. _"What?"_ she paused to pet and adore the large black cat for a bit. "You smell something odd about it. hmm?" Ginny was agitated now, but the girl could not tell if it was fear or excitement that fueled the sounds escaping her mouth. Carefully she stepped into full view of the curiosity. She saw a door, actually a set of doors, in what she assumed was the front of it. After a few moments deliberation, she knocked.

Nothing. As small as the box was, it was not like if anyone was inside they would not have heard her knocking. Zodiac imagined the knocking would be quite loud in such a confined space as this. What was it for?

She placed her hands against the surface and focused her thoughts, only to jump a step backwards as if shocked by electricity.

The box had an aura. Every living thing had an aura but this was the first time the mystic found a man made object with one. She simply had to see.

"Mrow," Ginny was moving about her feet now. Clearly her council on the matter was 'Let's go find something else to mess with'., but the gypsy ignored her furry friend as she focused her powers on the lock. Among her kind the gift was known as 'Uninvited Guest' and a soft click sounded as the door drifted inward an inch as light from inside pushed at the darkness surrounding her. She pressed her eye against the crack to see what lurked within and it opened wide.

_"Oh, my goddess!"_ She eased the gap wider and stepped inside. The cat gave a final hiss of warning before following her. The door slowly eased shut and relocked, but the girl was not panicked. She was confident she broke in and would be able to break back out when she was ready. The room being larger than the outside suggested was a curiosity, but her focus was on the door again. _"We...crossed a line of some sort."_ she frowned. Her beliefs told her such things were possible. Her own grandmother told her stories of witches who had grown to the point of not only transporting themselves from one place to another, but able to stop and explore the place 'in between'. Any of the vampires who teleported had that moment of blankness in the middle of the act as they passed through such a place. Now she found herself in such a place that came with a door back into her own normal place.

_"Someone boxed up a place between the places,"_ she marveled. The box itself was only a doorway in or out. The real mystery was surrounding her now. She lets her eyes take in the 'room' she found herself in. She could see doors leading away from here and she ached to explore them all. Did they take her deeper into this place or did they open to other planes of existence like her own. First was where she stood. Ginny had already made herself comfortable on one of the rails that surrounded the 'altar' in the center of it all. If alter it was. It resembled a combination of things that made no real sense to her.

_"Don't push any buttons"_ she reminded herself as she made a slow circle around it. Parts of it looked like trash strung together while other parts of it she could not fathom at all. The aura she sensed outside was strong here and she paused at a more empty part of one of the central panels that made up the arrangement. Her fingertips touched the surface as she opened her thoughts.

_"Hello,"_ she whispered. Only to grow weak in the knees and collapse onto the floor as the aura she had felt answered her back. Her instincts kicked in just before falling into darkness and summoned the shadows to hide her from view.

* * *

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of tennis shoes softly padding in an even, calm pace as the man walked along. His attention fixed on a device he carried in his hand, only looking away enough to make sure where he was going. By the look on his face, he seemed somewhat frustrated.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack the size of a city and the needle keeps moving." he muttered. His attention shifted again as the device began to beep softly. He checked the screen and took off running down an alleyway to find the source that was causing the device to sound off. Only to slow down and stop at the sounds quit.

"They come and go so fast, I need something that can lock on faster than this." He dropped the device into the pocket of the brown trench coat he wore and got his bearings. He turned into the gathering mist and began to walk again. This had not been the most normal place to be exploring he had concluded. Nothing specifically he could put his finger on, but a feeling of unease. Things spied from the corners of the eye that vanish once you look for them abounded here. He was used to such odd occurrences in his travels, but something in the air told his this was not just a passing thing. This was a constant for this place and a place that could generate such a feeling was not one to stay still in for too long.

As he turned down the alley where the large blue box the girl had found earlier sat waiting, he pulled a key from his pocket and looked around to be sure no one was near. A twist of the key and the man vanished inside and closed the door.

"Stationary orbit above the town." he concluded as he hung up his coat. "Try and use the TARDIS' scanners to zero in on the anomalies I've been picking up." The man approached the central controls and made several adjustments to the settings before throwing a switch. A deep, resonating sound could be heard as the machine came to life. Outside, the top light on the box began to pulse in time with the sound. As the noise grew in pitch, the shape of the box began to fade from view. For an instant, the was a empty spot in the mist where the box had once stood, but was soon filled in by the night.

A few moments later, the box reappeared high above the planet and took a point that held it in place as it matched the seed of the rotation of the globe and kept it directly above the town miles below it. Inside, the man began to works the controls again.

* * *

The silver ship limped along slow and determined. Still faster than anything humanity had managed to put into space in its current condition, it moved with a grim purpose.

"Report" a cold emotionless voice spoke from the commander's chair on the bridge of the ship. "Are we still in pursuit of the target?"

"Leader. Confirmed. Scans show the Time Lord's craft followed this current course."

"Damage report and repair status."

"All un-centralize units working. Estimate ship still at 62.7% effectiveness."

"And the cause of our sudden damage?"

"Unconfirmed. Prototype craft entered the time vortex and was in pursuit of the TARDIS. 23.7 seconds in flight, the TARDIS hit a unknown distortion that caused it to jump time streams. 2.9 seconds later this vessel hit the same distortion and damage occurred. Possibility the TARDIS was also damaged in the event and the Time Lord is seeking a place to effect repairs."

"Report. Is the technology we liberated from the Daleks performing to specifications?"

"System upgrades operating at 97.3% of projected norms."

"Continue repairs and pursuit."

"Leader."

The damaged craft began to pick up speed as it cleared the asteroid belt and raced in the direction of Mars.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Harper Rock. Why is that name not familiar?" The man looked at the display and watched as the sensors kept sweeping over the town below. The same blips the pocket device was picking up was being shown now on the screen, but they held no actual pattern or purpose.

"I mean, I suppose it's impossible to know every single city, town or hamlet there is on a planet," he kept muttering now as his eyes danced bout seeking a pattern in the random blips. "But I think one that generated constant enter and exit points to a parallel dimension would be the kind of thing to stick in my head." The pulsing blips he was studying was like an ever changing star field. Some of them barely a centimeter in size while others were large enough to allow a truck to pass through them. All of them lasting no more than a second, three at the most, then fading to nothing again.

"With all the resources UNIT has to track and study such things, I would think they would be there." he wondered. His exploration of the town did indeed find a military presence, but it was not UNIT and their task seemed to involve maintaining a quarantine zone around a couple of places and nothing more. The device he had used for tracking the anomalies showed him they were happening inside the zones but no more or less than they were elsewhere in the town.

"What am I missing here." he sighed. "What am I not seeing here, old girl." The man looked at the central column of the control podium as it rose and fell smoothly. He blinked and looked closer as he found a set of emerald eyes looking back at him from the opposite side. He looked around the time rotor to the other side and saw a large black cat sitting comfortably watching him.

'Meow'

"Well, hello." he smiled as he approached slowly. "Now how did you manage to get in here?" He held out his hand, letting the cat judge him. After a few sniffs, the animal stood up and rubbed against the offered hand. "Come here, not so small one" he picked the cat up to look it over. "Someone is missing you badly I bet." A quick look told him the cat was not a stray. The jeweled collar it wore ('Those are real') was proof enough. It had to have slipped in unnoticed when he left or returned to the TARDIS. "Well, how about this? We find you something to eat and drink and as soon as I am done, I will take you back home. Will that work?"

'Mrow' the cat seemed accepting of the offer. The man smiled and turned to take the cat with him. The toe of his left shoe suddenly caught on something unseen, causing both him and the cat to land soundly on the floor.

"WOT?" he exclaimed. He quickly rolled over to try and find what had tripped him and saw the cat standing with its front paws suspended in mid air looking at him. It meowed loudly at him. As he took a closer look he could see there was no way the animal could be standing naturally in such a pose. He reached out and his fingers found something his eyes was not seeing. "Wot?" he exclaimed again. The cat meowed again, louder, as it stood on top of the invisible thing the man had tripped on. It began to knead and paw at it. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a device that resembled an oversized pen and pressed a switch. A soft light began to shine as it made a small buzzing sound and a hazy image of a girl lying on the floor was revealed. "First a cat and now an invisible girl?"

The cat's actions grew more frantic now. Using the light as a guide, the man's hand patted the cheek of the girl, then felt at her neck for a pulse. "Oh dear," he frowned. Her flesh was cold. Matching the internal temperature of the TARDIS. His fingertips could not detect a pulse either. He glanced at the cat absently as he checked for breath and found nothing. The cat obviously belonged to the girl. How she managed to get in would be a mystery now. "I'm sorry," he spoke softly.

The cat apparently was having none of it. It looked into the girl's face and almost screeched before soundly biting her on the nose. The man reached out to shoo the cat away, but jumped backwards as the girl suddenly sat up and came into full view of his eyes. She grabbed her nose and glared at the cat.

_"You BIT ME!"_ her thoughts screamed at the animal. The cat immediately began to nuzzle and purr against her.

"Wot?" the man stammered. The girl was dead. How could she be sitting up and moving like this?

The girl looked around and was startled at the sight of the man. A hand pressed against her chest as she regained her composure. Absently, as was her habit, her mind reached out to try and get an idea of who she was suddenly dealing with. She pouted a bit when she could not see much at all about him. She was about to stand up when a new sound was caught by her ears. She cocked her head and listened to what only could be two hearts beating. Three, if she counted Ginny's. She looked about but only saw the one man. Where was the other one hiding?

"May I lend you a hand?" the man finally asked. She smiled and nodded as he helped her back to her feet. "Sorry, I thought you was dead for a moment. No heartbeat and all."

_"Well, it sounds like you have a spare for us both"_ her mindspeak touched his thoughts gently as she smiled. _"Two hearts!"_

"A telepath." he nodded. "Now may I ask who are you and how did you get in here?"

_"Oh, forgive my manners."_ she sighed as she placed her palms together and bowed her head. _"Most know me simply as Zodiac. The all seeing eyes of the past, present and future."_ she replied with a flourish of hands and a bright smile. _"And you, man with two hearts?"_

"Me? I'm The Doctor."

Zodiac blinked a bit. _"Ummm, The Doctor of what? Science? Medicine?"_

"No, no. Just The Doctor. Now how did you get in here?"

_"I let myself in,"_ she replied before catching his sleeve in her hand and looking up at him. _"Is this wonder we are standing in yours? She has an aura, you know."_

"You just let yourself in? How?"

_"I just did. I am very good at things like that."_ Her eyes took in the aura she sensed around this 'Doctor' and her inner feelers suggested he was not a threat as the norm, but she had existed for far too long in this un-natural state simply to begin discussing details with just anyone she met. _"Is this yours?"_

"Yes, it is, I suppose so."

* * *

"Report"

"Leader. Long range scans suggests the 'Earth' we are approaching is not our point of origin."

"Explain."

"Scanning local frequencies and tapping into networks reveals this world has not encountered key historical points known to our 'Earth'. Probably now 98.9% we have passed into a parallel time stream. This world has never know the Cybermen."

"Details. Technological levels."

"Scanning. Outside of nuclear weaponry. nothing to seriously hamper any of our efforts."

"So, we could begin upgrading this world if required with little to no issues?"

"Current conditions estimate 75% probability of success."

"And the remaining 25% ?"

"The presence of The Doctor and other unknown factors."

"The Time Lord would be irrelevant. He would be as cut off from support as we are, and by the time he could rally assistance our foot hold would be too well established."

"Orders, leader."

"Find the TARDIS and proceed with the original plan. Then we shall evaluate potential upgrading of this 'Earth'."

"Leader."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

_"She sings."_ Zodiac twirled in place. Silent laughter on her lips.

"She sings?" The Doctor asked. "How did you come to the conclusion the TARDIS is a female?"

_"I can hear it in the voice."_ The gypsy girl replied. The time lord crouched down to look her in the eye.

"You can actually hear the TARDIS in your mind?" The mystery of his stowaway was growing in leaps and bounds. It would take a powerful telepathic mind to even begin to sense such a thing. He had always suspected the TARDIS held some form of sentience to it but this was a view he had not considered.

_"Don't you? She sings for you. You need to hear it."_ she nodded. _"Come,"_

"I am not doing anything till you explain how you got in here, why are you in here and where exactly are you from." The Doctor waved his sonic screwdriver, passing it over Zodiac a few times and checking the readings. "This tells me that in many ways, you are dead, but you are standing her talking in my mind. I know of nothing born on Earth that can do that, so where are you from?" He did not want to admit that, for the moment, he was stumped. He had not encountered someone like this before, or had he? If so, it was a very long time ago. His eyes lit up as he pointed at the girl. "How did you escape from E-Space?"

_"Escape from where?"_ she blinked in confusion._ "Look, I come from Harper Rock. I live there. I was out walking and found...this."_ she gestured.

"So you're from the town below?" The Doctor stepped around her and pulled the monitor screen around so she could see what the sensors were picking up. "Have you ever seen anything like this? Well, not exactly like this, but things out of the ordinary? Things appearing and disappearing?"

The mystic looked at the screen and saw the ever changing pattern of blips going on and off. It reminded her of Christmas lights flashing in the dark or stars in the night sky. The way he rephrased his question however was most interesting. "I imagine I see as much odd things as anyone else does." she finally answered vaguely

The Doctor scowled a bit. It was obvious the girl knew or suspected far more than she was letting on to. If indeed she was what he was suspecting her to be, he could understand why. If she was what he suspected then secrecy would be part of her lifestyle. "I bet you have." The conflict was, was she pretending? The few examples of vampires he had encountered in the past were power hungry, brash, arrogant and impossible to reason with. Zodiac (he doubted that was her real name) was totally the opposite. Was it an act or was this genuinely how she was?

Her own views were conflicted on the subject of him. She got a good vibe from him, but too many unknowns floating around him. No, it was better not to give too much away for now. The problem was the man's aroma was almost hypnotic. Her nose told her he wasn't human. Far from it. The scent was richer, deeper, exotic. Like ancient wine preserved perfectly or far away places. His blood called to her senses and she debated the possibly of stealing a taste of him.

The black cat laid on the railing around the control center and regarded them both with mild disinterest. She sensed no danger to her person from this unique other, so she simply watched.

* * *

"Leader. Sensors have detected the TARDIS. It is in geosynchronous orbit above 'Earth'."

"An illogical place to try and hide while doing repairs." The commanding cyberman of the unit pondered for a moment. "Has the Doctor noted our approach?"

"Negative. The TARDIS is not in any know defensive mode currently. All sensors seemed focused on a point below on the surface." came the reply. The 'leader' wondered for a second what could be of such interest below, then fell back into order.

"Bring the Debilitator on line. Target the TARDIS and fire when in range."

* * *

_"Why are you staring at me?"_

"Why shouldn't I be?" The Doctor said.

Zodiac was getting uncomfortable suddenly. It was like his eyes were looking right through her. She looked back at him and focused her own eyes to his and mentally pushed._ "Stop doing that."_ she whispered, but frowned when the time lord began to laugh.

"So you can hypnotize people? Not a bad try actually. I imagine it works better with people of weaker wills."

_"What have I done so wrong for you to be acting like this suddenly?" _

"For starters, you broke in here. An amazing feat! I can only think of maybe five others who have managed it in less than a millennium and I still can't figure out how you did it. You are not telling me the entire truth to any question I have asked you and have been avoiding others."

_"How up front and totally honest would you be if the situation was reversed?"_ she refused to be intimidated by the man. Ginny sat up now and watched closer. The tones in their voices growing more intense now.

* * *

"Activating Debilitator."

An emerald light erupts from the hull of the cybermen's craft and washes over the TARDIS. There is no sign of explosions or any damage to be seen as the energy wave continues to cascade over the floating Police Box. Inside however,

Zodiac jerked her hand from the control board and grabbed her head._ "She's in pain. What's happening?"_ she shouted as the lights began to fluctuate wildly. The sounds of systems powering down was sounding off from the various panels. The Doctor was moving from panel to panel trying to find the cause for the massive brown out that was happening.

"The TARDIS just absorbed a massive charge of a type of negative energy. The systems are in flux trying to compensate." The Doctor glanced at his guest and saw the look of confusion on her face. "You keep saying the TARDIS is alive and you're right. Now imagine a living being suddenly being force fed a poison. The entire body begins to be affected in the process."

_"So what is poisoning us?" _

"There is several natural phenomena that could do this, but this is too rapid and total." The Doctor paused as he thought and for the first time the mystic saw what might be considered fear appear on his face. "A Debilitator. A Dalek weapon!"

_"A what?"_ Zodiac tried to keep up with the time lord as he continued to try and compensate for what was happening as he adjusted various controls. She wished she had more to offer than questions but this was going over her head way to fast to keep up.

"One of the last weapons the Dalek Empire perfected before the end of The Time War. The energy effect could stop a time capsule dead in its tracks. Counter measures were developed quickly but not for the older TARDIS models."

_"I get the feeling we are in last year's model."_ the girl thought to herself as she listened on.

"The Daleks-here? How?"

_"I take it these Daleks are pretty bad dudes to be messing with."_ Zodiac saw the look on the time lord's face as he glared at her. _"What? I mean, your people came up with something like this and they came up with a way to break it?" _

"I suppose you're right, actually." a few more switches were flipped and the view screen finally began to function again. As the view outside of the TARDIS began to focus, the Doctor suddenly was surprised. "But that's not a Dalek ship. At least not any design I have ever seen before."

Zodiac looked at the (in her opinion) ugly ship that was slowly approaching them. _"Has all the charm of a garbage truck."_ she thought. She also noticed the ship did not seem very sound. She was hardly an expert on how space craft were supposed to look, but this one appeared to have been in some sort of accident.

A light began to blink on the side of the view screen. "We're being hailed." the Doctor said.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Doctor pressed the button and the image of the Cybermen leader appeared on the screen.

"Is that a Dalek?" Zodiac asked. Before the time lord could reply, it began to speak.

"Your TARDIS is now under Cybermen control." the electronic voice spoke. "It will be collected and placed in our landing bay. Your craft will be boarded and you will be upgraded so that you will share the secrets of your vessel, Doctor."

"How did you manage to get a Dalek Debilatator or even rudimentary time travel abilities?" the time lord demanded.

"It was a major undertaking. Many of us fell, but in the end we gained the secrets of the Daleks."

"Wot? You lot against the Daleks? I seen first hand how that turned out before. Two million Cybermen against four Daleks and you were loosing! Probably more like scurrying around like rats in derelict Dalek ships till you finally found something useful."

"How we acquired the technology is irrelevant. Dalek technology and ours are quite compatible."

"Not totally. Judging by the condition of your ship. What happened?"

"Your attempt to evade us in the time stream did not succeed. The distortion within the time stream that forced both of our vessels off course and into this parallel universe damaged us, but did not destroy us."

"I doubt your ship would survive another trip through the vortex and even if it could, I doubt you salvaged anything from the Daleks that can help you find the way back to our own time stream."

"That is where you will be of service to the Cybermen, Doctor. Once you have been upgraded. And even if we cannot, we can begin anew on the world below us. Over 3 billion souls waiting to be upgraded. Prepare to be boarded. We shall see if Time Lord technology is compatible with our own." Before the Doctor could protest, the Cyber Leader switched off the connection.

_"First, what is all this 'upgrading' he kept going on about?"_ Zodiac asked. _"He kept saying it like it was a holy word or something."_

"To a Cyberman, it is a holy word. It's part of the reason they even exist." The Doctor returned to his task of working the controls. He began to tell the gypsy of their origins and their misguided quest for perfection. He also told her about the Daleks as well. Their origins and how in the fullness of time they waged a war against the Time Lords themselves.

_"I am not sure which one I feel more sorry for,"_ she finally spoke when he had finished. _"So when a person is 'upgraded' they have their brain removed and put into one of those metal bodies."_

"If it was just that, it might not be such a bad thing," The Doctor said. "But the process removes the humanity of the subject as well. No dreams, hopes, fears remain. Nothing but another solider in an ever growing army doing what it is told to do and nothing more."

_"So if they put your brain in one of those, you'll start telling them everything they want to know?"_

"And more. They will be able to spread out across time itself in their quest. That cannot be allowed to happen."

_"So why do you keep flipping the switches?"_ she was curious now. Outside of the conversation with the Cyber Leader, the Doctor had not stopped doing it.

"I am trying to help the TARDIS vent out the energy it absorbed. In time it would be able to do it on its own, but I am helping as much as I can without getting their attention."

_"Cause if they see you doing it, they will just zap you again."_

"Exactly. And each time the TARDIS would be hit, the more damage it would suffer."

The room lurched violently as something made contact with the time capsule. "They have grabbed onto us." The Doctor held onto the controls, waiting for the feeling of being pulled for several moments before letting go. "They have us, so why aren't they pulling us into the ship?"

* * *

"Leader."

"Report"

"The manipulator arm will not retract. It was damaged in the time stream incident."

"But the ship does have a grip on the TARDIS now?"

"Confirmed."

"Have the boarding team erect a docking ramp from the landing bay to the TARDIS. It is imperative we take the Doctor before he is able to complete any counter measures."

"Orders have been given, Leader."

"What have the bio scans shown concerning the crew of the TARDIS?"

"Two bio signs. One matches our previous scans of the Doctor. The second is a lower life form. Mammal. Possibly a dog or cat."

"Tell the boarding crew to ignore the animal. Their job is to secure the Doctor."

"Leader,"

* * *

_"They are being busy little bees out there."_ Zodiac turned the monitor to show the Doctor the Cybermen at work.

"Boarding ramp. They will be able just to walk up to the doors and kick them in."

_"Don't you have a force field or something to protect yourself?"_

"The majority of the TARDIS' shields are not operational at the moment. The inner one to keep the atmosphere in place if the doors are opened is still holding but the outer defenses are down."

_"And the doors?"_

"Right now, that's all they basically are is doors. I need more time to help flush this out, but I doubt if they are going to give it to us." His hands moving frantically now.

Zodiac turned and looked at the doors, then back to the display. A soft thump echoed in the room as the ramp made contact with the TARDIS. _"How much time do you need?"_

"15, 20 minutes tops."

She nodded and looked at the Doctor as he worked. Why could she not have met someone like this under saner circumstances? She could have spent hours, days even, just learning from him. Sadly it seemed to be the pattern of her continued existence. If the bits of information and memories she had managed to snatch from his mind when he was distracted was any clue, she knew he could not end up in the hands of the Cybermen. The universe was bad enough as it was without time and space being tainted as well.

Zodiac brushed her fingers over the control council sadly as she wrapped herself in shadows again. _"Goodbye"_ she whispered to the presence she had felt within the machine before. A moment later, the doors to the TARDIS popped open, only to close again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_"Okay, since I am still in range of the Nexus, I should just end up in the Shadow Realm. I think."_ She lied to herself as she stepped out of the TARDIS and stood on the boarding ramp. Zodiac could not be certain if the range of effect extended this high above the Earth, however the shortest distance between her and home at the moment was a straight line down. Vampires in Harper Rock, if they suffered too much physical damage, did like the old movies always showed. Crumble to dust and ashes, with a few variations among some, but if one was within the range of what she called the Nexus (The tear in the fabric of reality between this world and the Shadow Realm) their spirits could go and recover and, eventually, return to their bodies and live again.

But she had also been told, if she 'died' outside of that range, she would not return at all.

She took an unneeded breath and was surprised to find oxygen. Why would machines need air, but then she reasoned it was more to preserve the Doctor than anything else. No brain damage due to lack of air before they 'upgraded' him.

Reluctantly, she began to make her way down the ramp in the direction of the Cybermen's ship.

* * *

The Doctor glanced up at the sound of a door closing. "Zodiac?" he looked about and found himself alone. Even the cat had vanished. "Oh well, not like she can hurt much by looking around the TARDIS." he continued to work the controls. "Almost there, old thing. Almost there."

* * *

"Meow"

_"No, Ginny!"_ The mystic stopped and bent down to grab her cat. _"Go back to the Doctor!"_ She hugged the animal tightly against her. _"No,no,no, you stupid cat. Why did you follow me?"_ The cat simply meowed and nuzzled against her cheek. Zodiac was about to go and return the cat when she felt something in her feet that was conducted along the metal plating she stood upon. A rhythmic thumping that her hearing quickly picked up on as well. Soft, but growing louder and stronger with each thump. She looked in the direction of the spaceship and saw shapes moving her way.

Despite her situation, she watched. Amazement filled her eyes as she saw the machines approaching. All of them moving in synch with each other like a well trained drill team. Ka-thump, ka-thump, ka-thump! Each step reminding her of things she had been told about as a child by her grandmother. Of men who walked the same way in polished black boots and red and white armbands on display. The robots (_"No, not robots. Cyborgs"_) were amazing and terrifying to behold all at once. She had watched more than her share of science fiction, but these were for real and years ahead of anything she ever saw or read about on the news.

She sat on the deck, Ginny still in her arms as the three Cybermen approached.

* * *

The disruptive noises were calming down in the depths of the TARDIS. "Alright, old girl, how much power do you have left to work with?" An encouraging pulse was the reply as he studied the gauges. He saw the ship could transport itself at least twice in its current condition. The first would help purge the remaining effects of the weapon from the ship and then all would be well.

"Zodiac." he called out. "Where ever you are, hang on to something." as he keyed in a destination and flipped the main switch. He waited and was surprised that nothing was happening. "I know we got this right," he insisted as he went through the process again, only to be rewarded with the same. "What is wrong now?"

A series of soft noises rang out in the control room in varying tones and pitches as if in reply. "What are you trying to tell me?" the time lord wondered. The sounds repeated themselves. Only a few times in memory had the TARDIS simply refused to move. "Show me what the problem is," he implored the room he stood in. As if in reply, the monitor began to flash wildly as if to draw his attention. Multiple views of the outside of the TARDIS was seen before the image froze on the gypsy girl outside who was watching the Cybermen approach.

"What does she think she is doing?" The Doctor shouted. As he grabbed his coat and prepared to run outside, her question came back to him.

**_'How much time do you need?' _**

The doors of the TARDIS swung open of their own violation to allow him to exit.

* * *

The trio of Cybermen stopped and looked down at the girl in their path. Ginny had squirmed free of Zodiac's grip and planted herself between the mystic and the mechanical creatures and yowled in warning as she bristled in rage.

"Error." the lead Cyberman said. "Scans showed only two life forms within the TARDIS but this is not The Doctor."

"No bio readings detected." the Cyberman to the right answered. "Yet visuals show signs of movement and life."

As one, all three of the cyborgs pointed their right arm at the mystic. The girl had no doubts she was suddenly on the wrong side of the small, but deadly looking weapons attached to their forearms.

"State your designation." the lead Cyberman demanded.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

It took every bit of will not to flinch as the electronic voice spoke aloud, To her ears, it sounded more chilling in person. As much as Zodiac's inner feelings told her the Doctor could be trusted, she was getting the opposite feelings considering the machine men. "Never reveal an advantage" was a bit of common sense wisdom she lived by.

The lead Cyberman took another step forward and then she flinched. Looking up at the thing as if it had suddenly appeared in front of her.

"State your designation." the Cyberman demanded again. The mystic looked back and forth between the three. They stood in a spearhead formation with the one speaking to her at point. Perfect. Zodiac stood up, dusted herself off and looked up at the machine.

"Do you understand basic English?" The Cyberman began to eliminate possibilities for the lack of response to its questions. This suited the girl just fine. The longer they were focused on her, the more time The Doctor had to work with. She had one last card she could play in this stand off without revealing what she exactly was. As a child, Zodiac was diagnosed with aphasia. It did not effect her hearing at all, in fact nature had compensated her by her ears being much sharper than most and once turned it had increased even more, but the ability to speak was denied her and becoming vampire had not solved that particular problem.

She placed her hands together and bowed to the three Cybermen and then began to 'speak' in sign language.

**Hey ho, Mister Roboto. Klattu Barada Nicto?** She finished with the sign of the question mark and waited.

The three Cybermen stood perfectly still for several moments, but she could almost hear the whirring and clicking inside their computer minds as they debated the problem in front of them. "Team leader to Leader." the first Cyberman spoke.

"Report" Zodiac was surprised she heard the reply.

"Unidentified human discovered. Does not show up on the bio scans. Visual data transferring."

"Receiving."

Now she felt ignored, but the mystic wasn't complaining. She just stood there looking over the situation and how it could be played to the best advantage possible.

The Doctor paused when he finally got a clear look at Zodiac. She was still alive. Why hadn't the Cybermen attacked her? He stayed against the wall and crept closer.

"Team leader."

"Leader."

"Analysis of visuals suggest the human is communicating in some form of sign language. A common form of communication among humans incapable of speech and hearing."

"Leader. Shall we take the human back to the ship for upgrading?"

"Negative. Any upgrade done would be a waste of resources. The human is already defective. Any attempts at upgrading would be questionable as to final results." the 'leader's' voice droned on. A hint of anger flashed in Zodiac's eyes but it went unnoticed. "Delete the girl. Find the Doctor."

"Zodiac, RUN!" the Doctor shouted as he heard the leader's words. As one, the three Cybermen turned from Zodiac and looked.

"It is the Doctor. He is to be captured for upgrading."

_"Capture this!"_ Zodiac crouched down and placed her hand against the metal plating of the ramp and whispered spell.

"Unknown energy surge detected." One of the Cybermen reported before a small quake tremor shook the entire bridge structure. The machines fought to keep themselves upright as the shockwaves continued to pulse.

"What is she doing?" the Doctor marveled at what he was seeing. He watched as she raised her other hand and focused on it as a whirling sphere began to form out of thin air just above the palm of her hand. His attention was diverted by a buzzing noise from his coat pocket. He pulled out the detection device he had been using in the town and saw it was pulsing like mad.

"You will be deleted." the Cybermen tried to take aim at the gypsy again as the ball began to grow solid. The Sidhe floated there. An evil smirk on its face as it laughed at the machines in front of it. Zodiac acted like she was blowing a kiss and exhaled on the back of the demi fae. The creature sprang from her hand as if it was rocket powered and slammed hard into the chest of the lead Cyberman. Zodiac smirked when she saw the chest plate buckle from the impact as it knocked the cyborg backwards into its fellow Cybermen. The layout of the situation caused a domino effect. A ramp that ran upwards from the cyber ship to the TARDIS at about a 30 degree angle. Just enough to send the three Cybermen falling backwards and sliding back down the ramp.

_"DEFECTIVE, AM I?"_ her thoughts screamed as she watched them trying to right themselves again. She stood up and ran down the ramp in their direction.

"ZODIAC!" the Doctor gave chase now. He did not understand everything he had just seen but this was their best chance to escape. "COME ON!"

_"One last forget me not,"_ she sent to his mind as she stopped short of the tangled mass of Cybermen. Her hand found the deck again and she focused. The detector began to buzz even louder now as something large began to form out of smoke and shadows.

"Delete." one of the Cybermen took aim at Zodiac, only to have its head crushed in by a gigantic fist. The fadebeast roared as it saw the ones who had dared to enter it's spot and began to rage. The girl jumped up and began to run back to where the Doctor waited with Ginny following at her heels. The remaining Cybermen began to fire their weapons at the nightmare monster. Some of their shots hitting it while others just passed through its body as if nothing was there.

_"Defective am..."_ Zodiac started to think, but suddenly screamed as a stray burst of energy hit her in the shoulder, causing her to crumple to the deck. Never had anything hurt the way her shoulder did at this moment. She tried to move but found herself being picked up from the floor.

"Sorry for not asking first." the Doctor began to run back to the TARDIS with her in his arms. Behind them, the battle raged on, The fadebeast dispatched the last of the trio but showed signs of being seriously injured in the process. Dimly, Zodiac heard that thumping sound again and knew more Cybermen were coming to assist.

_"It won't last for much longer."_ she moaned.

"Just hope its long enough." The time lord ran toward the open doors. The cat was already there standing watch at the threshold. He ran inside and sat the girl down, then ran to the control council. Ginny jumped up onto the chair Zodiac leaned in and began to fuss over her. The mystic tried to stay focused on what the Doctor was doing, but pain and blood loss caused her to black out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Zodiac opened her eyes and saw a very calm situation. Ginny was curled up beside her resting as well. The Doctor stood calmly as he checked the readings on the control panel. The TARDIS itself seemed to be running normally now as the soft constant hum filled the room. She tried to sit up and a fresh jolt of pain flooded into her shoulder.

"Ah, you're awake." the Doctor smiled as he approached."Feeling better?"

_"Where are we?" _

"In the vortex. Giving the old girl some time to heal up and set up some new defenses. We are safe here."

_"But, what about Earth? My Earth."_ the girl pulled herself upright finally.

"No worries. That is kinda one of the advantages when you can travel in time. Technically you can be back before you ever left."

_"Somehow I don't think that's a smart thing to do." _

"You catch on quick. Of course we shouldn't do that, but we can stay here till the TARDIS finishes mending itself then return in less than five minutes after we left." he assured her.

_"That sounds like cheating, but I like it."_ she smiled, only to grimace as she moved her arm.

"I did not have that much luck with your shoulder I'm afraid." he apologized. Gently he began to remove a patch he had placed over the wound after his attempts to treat it. "Your...condition seemed to defy any of my attempts to fix it."

Zodiac turned her head and inspected the wound. The skin was almost black from the amount of heat the energy burst had generated. She had also lost a lot of blood in the process. Normally she could heal a minor wound, but this was beyond her talents. _"I have had worse,"_ she answered. _"In a few days I'll be fine. No problem." _

"That wound looks like it would takes months and that would be after surgery, and you are telling me in a few days-nothing?" The girl nodded. The Doctor took a seat next to her. "I think we have a lot of talking to do."

_"Oh, so do I, but I refuse to be a one way flow of information."_ she fixed the time lord with a no nonsense look. _"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine. No vagueness or half answers and you have to promise to be patient with me cause I am sure I will be asking a lot more subject related questions than you will, but come to think of it-maybe not." _

"Fair enough deal." He offered his hand and the girl shook it. "First question. What were those creatures you pulled into this dimension? I have never seen anything like them before."

* * *

The remains of the boarding ramp were being scanned by several Cybermen as the Lead Cyberman arrived to inspect the scene. "Report."

"Leader" one of the cyborgs approached holding a very large leg bone in its hand. "Trace evidence is erratic. Our scanners are not processing the data properly." The leader walked past and looked down at the remains of the ones who had fought the creature.

"One creature did all this?"

"Negative. A second creature was active first, but no evidence of it remains."

"Identity?"

"Both creatures were recorded and the visual files have been downloaded. Neither of them match any known phylum we have encountered before."

"And the girl?"

"Visual records show the girl possesses a power that allowed her to open a portal between this universe and another and to summon these beings to do her bidding."

The leader pondered the information for a moment. "Updating standing orders. When we re-capture the TARDIS, both the Doctor and the girl are to be upgraded. Such an ability would be useful to our cause."

"Updated orders received. Leader."

"Finish the analysis and prepare to jettison the ramp." Between the minor quake, the fadebeast, errant weapons discharges, and the TARDIS pulling free, it was in no condition to be salvaged. "Long range scans are in progress. The Doctor could not have gotten far in the current condition of the TARDIS."

"Possibility-Leader. Perhaps the Dalek technology that was given to us was not as perfect as the Daleks would have others believe."

"Concur. We will have questions for the one who supplied us the technology once our mission is complete. Carry out the orders."

"Leader."

* * *

"So, you were actually bitten?"

_"Yes, and nearly drained of all my blood. Then the one who did it force fed me some of their own. I passed out, woke up, and was like this." _

"It would seem to me some sort of biological reaction was involved." The Doctor considered the issue. "Something in their blood. A virus or contagion infected you."

_"I have come to the same conclusion, but what is it? Is it 'curable'? " _

"You'd actually want to be human again?" He was surprised. Most life forms who suddenly find themselves with power were usually quite reluctant to give it up.

_"There is a lot of perks to being what I am now"_ she thought softly to his mind. _"But some of the things that were lost are just not worth the trade off." _

"It could be possible, but,"

_"But is exactly the problem. Be someone's lab rat and trust they are trying to find an answer instead of using me to try to learn how to do what I do without the mess of sleeping all day and drinking blood?"_ Zodiac looked at The Doctor. _"Maybe someone like yourself might manage it, but I imagine you have more pressing things to worry about."_ she gestured to the control panel.

"Oh yes," he stood up and checked the readings again. Zodiac slowly got up and followed him. It was almost like she was drawn to him now. "I have been trying to see if anything from the time line I am from has come into being in yours as well."

_"How come?" _

"First of all, find a medical facility that can help you with that shoulder."

_"But what about..."_ she began. _"Never mind, I forgot. You can twist time as you see fit." _

"No, not twist it. There are rules in dealing with time. Break them and effects you may not even realize happened can begin and have far reaching consequences. There is also fixed points in time."

_"And what is that?"_ She lean against him and took a deep, unneeded breath as she smelled was so hungry now.

"For some reason, the event is a constant that cannot be altered."

_"So are those like points you would use to navigate in time?"_ she suddenly realized her mindspeak was growing softer, more seductive in tone. Zodiac shook her head and took a step away from the time lord.

"Keep catching on so quickly and I will be tempted to teach you how to fly the TARDIS." he smiled. "Well, the institute at Barnard's Star exists here." he checked the data read out. "Says they have experience with Terran physiology."

_"How? You telling me alien abductions are real?"_ How else would anyone 'out there' know about people and how they worked inside.

"Well, possibly. Personally I do not condone such behaviors, but it's been known to happen." he began to set in the coordinates, but was stopped by her hand on top of his.

_"As kind as that all sounds, I would feel better knowing the problem currently going on was resolved first."_ The Doctor looked at her for a few moments and finally nodded his head.

"I understand." he reset the coordinates. "Debilitator defense system armed. They are probably scanning like mad to try and find us, so when we do emerge we will have to be ready for them."

_"Do you have a plan?"_

"Not one I will be very proud of, but I do." he flipped the switch.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The stillness of the void was broken for a moment as the TARDIS materialized back into normal space. It floated calmly, doing nothing to conceal it's presence from anything else lurking in the darkness of space.

"How's our power looking?" The Doctor asked.

_"Power is holding at 86%."_ Zodiac read the gauges he had shown her. _"The residuals of the energy burst are continuing to decline." _

"That's what she needed. A rest, and a good run. The rest will clear out the more we keep moving."

_"So how long do you think we have to..."_ the mystic began, but was cut short by a small warning alarm.

"Oh, about that long."

* * *

"Leader."

"Report."

"Long range sensors have detected the TARDIS. It is holding a position near Jupiter."

"Make best speed. Have the Debilitator and all functional weapons ready. Status report of the tractor beam."

"Still not operational. There was extensive damage to those systems in the event in the time stream."

"There is grappling gear aboard this craft. Once the TARDIS is immobilized, we shall use it to pull the ship in. Best speed now."

"Leader"

* * *

"Here they come. Predictable as always."

_"Is there any particular reason why you chose this area? Well, wherever we are now." _

"Oh. I didn't tell you where we were and why. I apologize. Trust me, its something of a brutal solution to the problem at hand. I wish there was another option, but I just can't let them be roaming about in a universe totally unprepared for them." The time lord explained as he made a few final adjustments.

Zodiac nodded her understanding. _"We've all done some things we are not so proud of." _

"Just keep an eye on the power. The TARDIS is not 100% yet. If we loose too much power, this won't work." Zodiac flipped the switches the Doctor had told her to do.

_"All unnecessary power usage temporarily cut off. Power levels now 94.7% and climbing." _

"Good." He glanced at the view screen. "Now just be the Cybermen I have always known. Big and bold. Damn the torpedoes-full speed ahead."

* * *

"Leader. The TARDIS is coming in range."

"Prepare."

* * *

_"You're baiting them."_ Zodiac frowned. The Doctor did not reply, but continued to monitor the ship's approach.

The damaged cybership fired the energy weapon again when in range. The emerald light flowed to the TARDIS, only to act like water hitting a rock. the beam divided and went in separate directions several feet before making contact.

* * *

"Leader. The TARDIS is now shielded from the Debilitator."

"All weapons fire when ready."

"Firing."

* * *

The time capsule shook as a result of the energy discharges igniting around it. "What's our power now?" the Doctor shouted over the noise.

_"89.6% and dropping."_ Zodiac grabbed on to the side of the control panel to steady herself.

"Here we go," the time lord depressed a switch and then prepared the TARDIS to move.

* * *

"Leader. The TARDIS has activated a type of tractor beam. The ship is in it's grip"

"Break free."

"Leader. The TARDIS has begun to accelerate and is pulling us with it."

"Disengage."

"Unable to comply." The pilot of the cybership replied as they were pulled in the direction of the gas giant below.

* * *

_"Power has dropped to 81.3%"_

"We're doing fine so far."

_"Are we moving faster now?"_ Despite the almost stable interior of the craft, she could feel the vibrations growing.

"That's Jupiter inviting us to come down." The Doctor kept his hand hovering over the switches. "You read something about this in school, haven't you?"

Zodiac thought hard for a second. _"Gravity?" _

"Yes. Jupiter's gravity is 2,639 times stronger than Earth's pull. Get too close and it's almost impossible to break free. Be a major challenge for a fully functional ship, let alone a damaged one."

_"They will die!"_ a look of horror bloomed on her face.

"I can't pull them back through the time stream to their proper place and time and I can't leave them here to wreck havoc in your time stream. I told you, I wasn't very proud of this solution."

* * *

"Leader. Jupiter gravity effect increasing."

"Counter measures."

"Engines working at maximum capacity in current condition. There is too much damage remaining to our systems to be effective."

"Activate the Emergency Temporal Shift device." a hint of panic now in the voice of the Cyber was the last bit of Dalek tech they had been supplied.

"Activating." the pilot opened a small panel and pressed the hidden button inside.

* * *

With the pressing of the switch, the memory banks of the cybermen computers (and the cybermen themselves) were copied and send along an encrypted signal to a point disturbingly nearby. When the last of the information had been processed and saved, a light began to blink rapidly. A shadow within the room turned and looked at the blinking light and chuckled softly.

"As expected," a voice sighed as a gloved hand pressed a second button next to the blinking light in reply.

* * *

_"We are really picking up speed now."_ Zodiac's mindspeak grew louder.

"Here's the tricky bit. Power?"

_"74.9%" _

"Could be better but we are committed now." the Doctor threw the switch, and tuned off the tractor beam.

* * *

"Leader. The tractor beam has been disengaged. The TARDIS is now dematerializing."

"Report. Why has the Emergency Temporal Shift not been activated?"

" Emergency Temporal Shift has malfunctioned. Engines are now reaching critical. Orders?"

"Orders?" the pilot asked again.

For a brief moment, it appeared the damaged cybership would ram into the TARDIS before it began to fade from view. The ship rushed through the spot the time capsule one was and continued to dive helplessly toward the surface of the planet below.

"We die," The leader said without emotion. The pressures of the gas giant had already begun to tear at the craft. The previous damage allowing weak spots to be exploited. Slowly, the ship began to cave into itself like a soda can being crushed in a person's hand.

* * *

The illusion of the control center of the TARDIS splitting into multiple views of the same scene was not lost on the gypsy. _"What...what...what's...happening...happening?"_ her mindspeak even sounded in multiples.

"Fighting...fighting...gravity...gravity... Jupiter...Jupiter... won't...won't... let... let... go...go... so... so... easy...easy...!" The Doctor continued to try and compensate for the effect. Eventually the effect began to fade as gravity lost its hold on the ship. The feeling of motion faded as well as the TARDIS reappeared where it had originally been hovering in space. Well out of the reach of the gravity forces of Jupiter.

_"Is it over?"_ Zodiac asked. She glanced at the gauges. _"Power level 68.2% Starting to rebuild." _

The Doctor pressed a control that cause the doors of the TARDIS to open. "It's safe," he told the mystic. "We are not facing the sun. Force fields extend beyond the door so no danger of falling out and drifting away." Timidly Zodiac approached the door and pulled it open, only to gasp in total shock and sink to her knees at the view in front of her. What was it called? The Great Red Spot. Supposedly a storm raging in the clouds high above Jupiter for the last hundred years and showing no signs of breaking up dominated the view. Absently she pulled out her phone and took a couple of snaps.

_"No one will believe this."_ she muttered. Then, for an instant, a bright flash of light appeared in the surrounding clouds and faded just as quickly.

"Now it's over." The Doctor finally spoke again.

_"Some would call this murder."_ She looked up at him.

"Others would call it mercy," he crouched beside her. "Once a person is 'upgraded', they cannot be restored."

_"Them they and I have something in common then." _

"You don't know that."

_"This is true."_ she stood up now and view the planet below again. _"Now what?"_

"Barnard's Star, of course."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

(2 'hours' later)

She walked out of the section labeled XENOBIOLOGY and began to debate how to get out of here and back to the Doctor who was waiting in the lobby. The staff had taken her upstairs and into a parade of rooms where various tests were done on her. What surprised her the most was the staff seemed somewhat familiar with what she was once they had figured it out.

What also surprised her was the fact she could understand the doctors and staff when they spoke and they understood her. She smiled and nodded as she past others, sometimes pulling out her iPhone and snapping a few discreet pictures as she went along. She figured it would be harmless. Anyone back home who would see them would probably assume she went to a comic convention or something similar. 'Yes, it was a Cosplay event. Honest.'

She finally found the elevators and pressed the button. As the doors parted, she blinked at the green gelatinous mass that sat inside. At first she thought of 'The Blob' from the movie, but this creature had tentacles and a type of eye. She squeezed in and gave the creature all the room she could as the doors closed. _"Main lobby, please"_ she sent her thoughts to the creature. Surprisingly, it lifted a tentacle and pressed a button on the controls.

_"...getting off...9th floor...yours next..."_ the disjointed thoughts returned to her.

_"What brings you here today?"_ she asked.

_"...digestion...issues..." _

_"Oh, that can be a problem. Hope you feel better." _

_"...thanks..."_ The doors opened and the blob worked its way out of the car.

_"That was totally different"_ she snapped some pictures before the doors closed.

"There, see? Told you she'd be fine." The Doctor stood up as Ginny jumped from his lap and ran across the lobby to greet the girl as she stepped out of the elevator. Zodiac scooped up her cat and fussed over her as she approached. "They fix you up?"

_"Surprisingly, yes."_ she said as she handed him a folder. _"How was I able to understand them and read that?" _

"An ability of the TARDIS. Once it decided you 'belonged' there, it began translating for you." he smiled as he flipped through the papers.

_"So your machine is telepathic as well?"_ her eyes lit up.

"In a sense. So they used a 'Necrotic Regenerational Stimulator' on your shoulder. Never heard of that one." the Doctor admitted.

_"It was very odd,"_ Zodiac was able to watch the device in action on a monitor screen. _"They also was able to 'feed' me. Some kind of synthetic plasma." _

"How was it?" An odd question, but a sense of curiosity rose up in him.

_"Tasted like Lake Erie at low tide,"_ she made a sour face. _"But, I am refreshed, healed, full and ready again."_ She rotated her arm and showed not a bit of discomfort. _"Still, my blouse is toast now." _

"I'll turn you loose in the wardrobe when we get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor motioned for Zodiac to follow him as they made their way out of the lobby.

_"Who paid for this?"_ she asked as she quick stepped to keep up with his stride.

"Well," he pushed the door open to allow them to exit.

_"Doctor!" _

* * *

(3 hours later)

She had found a functional replacement among the clothing she found in what the time lord called the wardrobe. There was quite a collection to be found, but what had really caught her eye was an area set off from the main. It was a collection of clothes for a man, but what was interesting was they all had the scent of the Doctor upon them. Some incredibly old while others were more recent, yet none of them seemed to fit the personality of the time lord.

_"All the same, yet all different."_ she pondered as she tried to adjust the massive multi-colored scarf she had found around her again. _"You dressed in this? You are a gypsy."_ she grinned. The puzzle remained. Each set of clothes holding the scent of the same man, yet each had different sub scents to them as well. As if an element had been dominate each time he had changed his attire. She ran a finger over the leather jacket hanging by itself then admired the unique umbrella she found..

"Finding what you need?" she turned to see him enter the wardrobe.

_"Reincarnation."_ she replied. It was the only thing that made sense to her. _"How many times have you come back, Doctor? More amazing, how did you come back the same person with each new birth?" _

"Not reincarnation. Regeneration. Although in a way, the concept is the same. Nice blouse. Used to belong to an old friend of mine named Romanna."

_"She had taste. Please explain regeneration?"_ she asked.

* * *

(9 Hours later)

The next six hours went by in a blur for the girl. _"He is showing off,"_ she concluded as the time lord demonstrated the capabilities of his craft. She hoped the memory card in her phone could hold it all. She was given a glimpse of the cosmos itself and each new discovery made her giddy like a child who had discovered a special present waiting for them. She squealed and hugged him at each new sight he brought before her using the TARDIS.

But when he asked her if there was something special she wished to see, she imagined her answer confused him. It was understandable. His mind, so linked to logic and science, probably did not have much room for the metaphysical of existence, but he obliged her. He watched as she stood outside the TARDIS on the surface of Earth's moon in the darkness as she danced and gave blessings to her home in the sky above. When asked why when she had finished Zodiac explained as best she could.

_"How many witches have danced in the sunlight offering their prayers to the giver of life? And how many have stood in the moonlight offering prayers to Luna? Too many to count I would think, but perhaps now I was the first witch to dance on Luna and offer her prayers to Mother Earth." _

She imagined he thought she was crazy, but she did not care. The bag filled with moon dust and the few rocks hidden in her purse were a dream come true alone and worth the odd look as well as the sight of Ginny trying to make her way in zero gravity.

Eventually, the novelty began to wear off. When the TARDIS rematerialized again, the time lord turned on the outer view screen and showed her a familiar neighborhood.

_"We are near Honeymead now,"_ she remarked.

"But still in your town? Good," the Doctor smiled. "Sometimes the old girl misses a bit."

_"I think she does very well, myself. So, I guess this is where I get off then." _

"It doesn't have to be,"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

She blinked in confusion for a moment. _"Are you...asking if I would like to stay? Why would you want to travel with something like me?"_

"Some-one like you, I would." the time lord leaned back. "You catch on fast. You certainly can handle yourself well. It be fun!"

_"Perhaps,"_ she considered. _"Would we be in my universe or go to yours?" _

"Well, not sounding vain, but there is a whole lot more in mine I am sure you'd find quite interesting."

_"And could you bring me back to mine if I chose to return?"_ she studied his eyes. "_You don't know if you can. You admitted an accident knocked you off course into mine. If you can prove we can return to mine with ease, I would consider it." _

"I honestly don't know. I would have to go back and try."

_"And if the try would fail, I would be cut off."_ she sighed. Her fate was playing its usual tricks again with her continued existence. _"What little I still love and care about is here. If I did leave, there would be things I simply could not leave behind. Besides, I think I'd be a hard 'pet' for you to keep." _

"I never said..."the time lord grew defensive now.

_"I know you didn't or even implied it, but let us be honest here. I don't do well in sunlight. Can you expect to explore the universe only at night time? Plus, my diet. Can you assure me I would always be fed properly? You cannot and trust me, something like me being hungry can be a dangerous thing to have at your back." _

"You would bite me? Feed from me?"

_"If I was hungry enough,"_ she admitted sadly. Gently she took the Doctor's hand in hers and smelled it. _"Old attics, secret treasures. You smell like I think the stars would if they could be smelled."_ she sighs softly. _"I would be in fear once I started, that I could not stop. In your case, you would regenerate I guess. But still." _

"But still," he smiled.

_"Also, consider this."_ Zodiac began. _"Imagine someone who has lived all their life on hamburger. Nothing special, just hamburger. Then one day someone puts the finest prime rib in front of them. Cooked to perfection. They eat and realize what they have been missing, only eventually they have to return to just hamburger to survive. That's the way your blood smells to me, Doctor, and I would become addicted very fast."_

He turned his hand and offered it to her to shake."I am glad to have met you, Zodiac. Is nice to me someone who defies the stereotypes of what they are."

_"Then this is good bye,"_ she smiled sadly. Every fiber of her was screaming to go with him, but she knew she could not.

"Not exactly. Let me see your phone."

_"Nooo."_ she clutched her purse tightly. _"Please don't erase my pictures." _

"I won't erase anything. Promise, now let me see it."

Reluctantly, she handed the iPhone to the Doctor. He opened the back and took the strange pen shaped device she saw before and began to make it buzz. He worked about for a few moments and then handed it back to her. "There you go. When you get back, cancel your service. You won't need it anymore. This phone will now work anywhere, and I do mean anywhere now." Zodiac looked it over. It didn't seem any different to her. "Check your saved contacts."

She did and found an new entry titled 'The Doctor'.

_"So, just call you if I miss you or something?"_ she giggled.

"Well, that too. Seriously, if you see any signs of our cyber friends or anything else that does not look like it belongs here? Hit the button." he instructed her.

_"That I can do."_ she slipped the phone into her purse and then stroked to control center gently. _"And goodbye for now to you as well." _

"Hold on. You said earlier the TARDIS sings. You actually talk to it?"

_"Yes she does. She sings for you. I am not sure we actually talk. I think it is trying to give me impressions I can actually understand." _

"Then why can't I hear it?" In the past, the time lord had gotten vague impressions in his mind, but nothing as solid as a song or a voice.

_"Perhaps you just don't know how to listen?"_ Zodiac placed her hand against the control panel and offered her other to the Doctor. _"Will you trust me in your mind, Doctor?" _

The Doctor eyed the girl for a moment before putting his hand in hers. _"Just open your mind to mine,"_ she sighed as a uplift of sounds began to creep into the time lord's thoughts. He stood stunned as the rising and falling tones began to take on a type of melody.

"I never..." he tried to speak. He turned to Zodiac, who stood with her eyes closed as red tinged tears crept down her cheeks.

_"Imagine a symphony, but only a percentage of the orchestra is in place. They play their parts, but the tune is incomplete, yet you can tell from what you hear the music in its entirety would be a thing of beauty."_ her thoughts sighed. _"This is all I can perceive of her 'song' and it still moves me." _

"It's beautiful," he admitted. Eventually he let go of her hand and stood there as if shaken to the core. "I never knew."

_"That is what attracted me to her when I found her in the alley. The TARDIS gives off a unique aura like a living thing does. I had to see and when her 'thoughts' first touched mine I passed out and that's how you found me." _

"Well, you made a friend. When I thought you was elsewhere in the TARDIS and tried to leave, she refused to move." he smiled. "You sure you don't want to come along?"

_"You find out if you can bring me back to my Earth first and then I will consider it."_ she gathered her things and tucked Ginny under her arm.

"It was lovely having you aboard." The Doctor rubbed behind the Ginny's ears, drawing a deep purring sound from the black cat.

_"It was a pleasure and a blessing,"_ the mystic raised up on her toes and put a soft kiss to his cheek. _"Be careful out there." _

"I do my best." The Doctor opened the doors to the TARDIS, allowing her to step back out into the night mists. Zodiac took several steps and turned in time to see the doors close. A moment later, a sound she become quite familiar with began as the TARDIS powered up and began to fade from view. A wooshing sound she could never confuse with anything else again.

_"Goddess keep him safe,"_ she smiled before letting Ginny back down to the ground. _"Now dear one, should we tell anyone about all of this?" _

The cat meowed as if saying 'Are you crazy?' as she rubbed around the girl's ankles.

_"Hmm, you are right, of course."_ Most in Harper Rock of the night crowd already thought she was crazy. Add to that a claim she traveled time and space and helped save the world as well? They would have her committed to Winterbrook Asylum in a heartbeat. _"As always, our little secret, my love."_ she smiled down at her familiar before the pair walked off into the mist and began the trek to home.


	11. Chapter 11 - Epilog

(Epilog)

"Ever resourceful, Doctor."

The man sat calmly in a comfortable chair as he watched the view screen. As the TARDIS began to fade from view, the camera began to pan and follow the girl and the cat as they left the area. Every so often a new view would appear as he followed her progress. The experiment had gone quite well, he concluded. He felt no sympathy for the Cybermen sacrificed in the process. They were ends to a means, nothing more. The emergency system they had activated has simply sent a signal to the man which told him they had failed. A flip of a switch sent their engines into overload and their failure was rewarded while he downloaded all the information they had acquired in this little adventure.

"As if the Cybermen could have ever gotten time technology from the Daleks," he chuckled softly. It was child's play to secure just enough to lull the cyborgs into thinking they had something of value. He had broken down the devices, studied them and had developed proper counter measures to them before arranging to have them fall into Cyberman hands. Once they had installed them, the sub programs he had set into place took root and gave him external command of their ship.

No, everything had gone to plan quite nicely. Even if the Cybermen had managed to 'upgrade' the Doctor, their victory would have been short lived. He could not allow such competition to begin to thrive in such a rich, unspoiled environment such as this parallel universe. So close to his own point of origin yet free of so many issues and problems that had plagued his efforts in the past and one new mystery to appearance of the girl was a stroke of luck. Being able to observe what she was capable of was a bonus indeed.

Amazing creatures they were he thought as he continued to watch the girl with the cat. He had been observing the vampires for awhile now. The elaborate camera system hidden within the town was constantly bringing him hints of these creatures in action. It would take time, of course to learn all their secrets, but what was time, actually. Perhaps the Rani could be of assistance in this. The man scoffed at the idea of the supernatural. Whatever these people were had to have a basis in science and he would discover it in due time. Find a way to extract the positives and discard the minuses and use it for himself. These 'vampires' had the potentials of immortality and if he could find that secret it could be refined. There were certainly enough of them to experiment on. They would have to pick and choose their test subjects carefully to avoid raising suspicion, but again, there was nothing but time to work with. With the Rani's help he suspected they could be manufacturing immortality by the gallon once all was done.

True immortality.

He supposed he would have to share the results with her he thought as he sipped fine wine from a glass. A necessary evil he supposed but as long as it got him what he wanted, so be it.

The time lord known to The Doctor as The Master sat back and relaxed in the confines of his own TARDIS. Unlike the Doctor's, his TARDIS' chameleon circuit was fully operational so the machine hid in plain sight among the people of this town. He watched as the camera views changed as they followed the girl. He would have to keep a close eye on that one. She, basically, knew about time travel and time lords and had hands on experience. Was she of any help to the Doctor? Sadly his spying was limited in the Doctor's TARDIS but what he had managed to download from the Cybership and men suggested she had been and had demonstrated her powers quite nicely. A group of these 'vampires' united could cause a serious problem if he did not use stealth and care. Perhaps in a night or two he should seek out her shop. Make her acquaintance. Become her friend. Perhaps even let her in on the secret. He was a friend of the Doctor who came to make sure no threat remained to her world. Or perhaps not. Perhaps the girl should have an accident in a place where she could not return from. She struck him as a do-gooder type at heart despite what she had become and he had had his fill of such beings. Others of her kind might be quite receptive to his offers if it brought them even more power. So predictable.

Either way, he was in no hurry to decide which. The Master relaxed as he continued observing the vampires in motion.

FIN?


End file.
